To the Moon and Back
by Cheap Trixie
Summary: Clarissa Teller thinks she has it all. An awesome Mom and stepdad in Clay and Gemma,a cool older brother in Jax,plus a slew of guys who would lay down their lives for her in the club.Her life at eighteen is close to perfect.Well,there's that messy thing with her ex-boyfriend,but other than that,it's perfect.Until the new Prospect comes along and turns her life inside out.Juice/OC
1. Chapter One

**Disclaimer: I own Clarissa and her various friends. Everyone else belongs to Sutter. Also, no songs or movies in this story belong to me.**

**Author's Note: Just a few quick things. Clarissa is (was?) Thomas's twin sister. She's six years younger than Jax, which makes her eighteen at the start of this story. I don't think we ever get Juice's exact age, but I'm guessing him to be have been born somewhere close to Jax and Opie, so I put it at 1980. Just so there's no confusion.**

* * *

_And I'd give up forever to touch you_

_Because I know that you feel me somehow_

_You're the closest to Heaven that I'll ever be_

_And I don't wanna go home right now_

_I'll I can taste is this moment _

_And I'll I can breathe is your life_

_And sooner or later it's over_

_I just don't want to miss you tonight_

_And I don't want the world to see me_

_Because I don't think that they'd understand_

_Where everything's made to be broken_

_I just want you to know who I am_

_- The Goo Goo Dolls_

* * *

**June 2002-**

"Mom's looking for you." Jax Teller said to his younger sister, Clarissa, as soon as she pulled up. "And she is _pissed, _Ris."

"Fuck." Clarissa flicked her cigarette butt out of her car window. "Fuck. _Fuck_."

Jax shrugged. "Something to do with blowing off your morning shift…" He said it with a hint of a grin.

"Shut up." She told him as she climbed out of the car, a red Mustang her Mom and stepdad had gotten her for her sixteenth birthday two years before. "I slept through my alarm, okay? I didn't even get to have my run."

Jax held up his hands. "I'm out of it." He said. "All I know is that you were supposed to be here over an hour ago. And you look like shit, by the way."

Clarissa rolled her eyes, the exact same blue as Jax's, and pushed her light blonde hair out of her face. She realized she wasn't exactly looking tip top that morning. She'd been out with her friends the night before and had poured herself into bed a little after 3:00. She was supposed to be up at 8:00 for work…but that hadn't happened.

"Clarissa Rochelle!" She sighed as her mother shouted her name. "Where the_ hell_ have you been?"

"I slept through my alarm, Mom." She said, walking into the bay area of the garage. The other guys, her stepdad included, dropped their heads and busied themselves with whatever they were doing. No one wants to be on the wrong side of Gemma Morrow. "I'm sorry."

"You're sorry?" She asked. "You were supposed to be here an hour ago to show the new Prospect what to do with the computer systems!"

"I'm sorry!" Clarissa repeated a little louder. "Shit, what do you want me to do?"

"Get your skinny ass in there and help him!" Gemma said.

Clarissa sighed and pushed her way through the door. There was a guy sitting at the desk. He looked up at her when she came in.

"You the new Prospect?" She asked, tying her long hair back. He nodded.

"Yeah. I'm Juice."

"Clarissa." She replied in like. He nodded again.

"I know. I mean," He faltered a little at her raised eyebrows. "I've seen you around. You run track at the high school, right?"

"I did." Clarissa said. "I graduated last month."

"Oh." He looked back at the computer. "So you're eighteen?"

"Yeah…why?"

He shrugged. "Just wondered."

They worked in silence for a bit. She snuck a look at him out of the corner of her eye. He was cute, she thought; with that short cut mohawk and those big brown eyes. She cut her eyes away from him when her mother banged back into the office.

"You too hungover to help him?" Gemma asked. Clarissa shook her head.

"I'm not hungover, Mom." She said. It was a lie and they both knew it. She had the hangover from hell.

Juice dropped his head and acted like he couldn't hear them.

"You told me you weren't going to drink, Ris." Gemma said. "That's what you said when Summer picked you up last night."

Clarissa sighed. "That was the plan."

"And when exactly did the plan go off rails?" Gemma asked. "Jesus Christ, Clarissa, you're barely eighteen! You want Hale or one of those other yay-hoo's to slap underage drinking on you?"

Clarissa looked up at her. "I started drinking when I saw Chris come in with his new skank, okay?"

Her mother's face changed when Clarissa mentioned her ex-boyfriend. She glanced at Juice. "You. New kid. _Out._" She jerked her thumb towards the door.

He nodded. "Yes, ma'am." He left quickly as Gemma pulled his vacated chair up beside her daughter.

"Oh baby." She said. "Why didn't you just tell me?"

Clarissa shrugged. "You didn't give me much of a chance."

Gemma tucked a stray piece of hair behind her daughter's ear. "Did he see you? Chris, I mean."

"Yeah." Clarissa said. "And he made sure I saw _her_. Tiffany or Britney or whatever the fuck her name is. And that's what I don't get. We broke up in March. He didn't want to be with me anymore, okay, I get that. But why does he have to flaunt these bitches in front of my face every chance he gets?"

Gemma sighed. "Because men are assholes." She said simply. "And him knowing he's hurting you? Its making him feel pumped up."

"That's stupid." Clarissa said. Gemma nodded.

"Doesn't make it any less true, though."

"What can I do about it?" Clarissa asked.

"What you need to do is find a new fling of your own." Gemma told her. "You got any on the line?"

Clarissa shook her head. "Not really."

Gemma glanced through the window. "What about the new kid?" She asked. "Juice? He's cute."

"Mo-om! For God's sake, he's a _Prospect_."

"They all start out that way." Gemma replied.

"I just met him. I don't even know him." Clarissa told her. She didn't mention that he apparently knew her, though.

"Do you think he's cute?" Gemma asked. Clarissa shrugged.

"He's okay, I guess." She stared at her mother. "What's with you trying to push this guy on me?"

"I'm not trying to push him on you." Gemma replied. "It was just a suggestion. Don't get your panties in a knot."

Clarissa laughed. "Shut up." Gemma stood and kissed the top of her head.

"You know how much I love you, right?" She asked.

"To the moon and back." Clarissa gave her standard reply. It was something they'd been doing since she was a kid and it always made her feel better.

Later on that day, she was sitting at one of the picnic tables outside when someone tugged on her ponytail. She turned to see Clay and Tig.

"You want Tiggy here to beat the piss out of him?" Her stepfather asked. Tig grinned.

"I been wantin' to have a go at that little shithead for a long time." He said.

Clarissa shook her head. "Let it go. He's not worth it."

"Yeah, well, you might wanna tell you brother and Ope that." Clay said, nodding towards the two of them. "Because they're ready to wring the prick's neck."

"Shit." Clarissa sighed. "Did she tell everyone?"

Tig nodded. "Pretty much."

Clarissa let her head drop on the table. "Kill me now."

"Ah, don't worry about it." Clay told her. "None of us liked him too much, anyway. You can definitely do better."

She smiled. "Thanks."

He sat beside her, nodded to where the new Prospect was lighting a smoke. "What's your gage on him? The new kid?"

Clarissa looked at her stepdad in surprise. "Since when does what I think matter?"

He shrugged. "I just wondered what you thought of him."

She studied Juice from across the lot. He was talking to Chibs, who was his sponsor. "He knows computer shit, I'll give him that. And," She grinned. "He's pretty cute."

Clay rolled his eyes. "Not what I meant."

Clarissa laughed. "I know, I'm just messin' with you. He seems okay." She lit up her own smoke. "Did my mother put you up to this, by chance?"

Clay grinned. "Ask me no questions, I'll tell you no lies." Clarissa snorted and threw a wadded up piece of paper at him.

"Shut up."

Across the lot, Juice watched her laugh with her stepfather. Chibs lounged beside him, smoking.

"What's her deal?" He asked, nodding in her direction and trying to sound nonchalant.

"Clarissa?" Chibs spoke around his smoke. "Ah, she's a good lass. Real sweet, smart as a whip. Going to business school in the fall, you know. Probably gonna end up the boss of this whole garage before its all said and done."

"She, uh, got a guy?" Juice asked. The Scotsman grinned.

"Not at the moment, she don't." He replied in an offhanded kind of way. "She had one, up till a few months ago. Real asshole, he was. Treated her like shit. You lookin' in that direction, boyo?"

Juice shrugged. "Just wondering." He said, trying to sound flippant about it.

Chibs snorted. "Ah, she's not a bad way to go. Not much up on top, but she's got legs for days. Sweet lass, real smart." He said again.

Juice nodded. He was trying to act cool, but he was not about to admit that a very small part of why he was interested in the M.C. was because he wanted to get closer to Clarissa Teller. It probably wouldn't be a good idea to mention that, he thought.


	2. Chapter Two

**Author's Note: I just wanted to say thank you for all the reviews and adds this story has gotten! I'm glad so many people like it! This is a short chapter, more Juice's thoughts than anything, but I hope you all enjoy!**

* * *

Juice found himself watching Clarissa a lot over the next week and a half. He watched her file papers, answer the phone, sweep the floor. He watched her joking with Jax; which made him kind of sad. He missed his own brother, Hugo, who was back in Queens. He watched her leave with her best friend Summer; they'd go pick up Chinese take out and bring it back to everyone else.

He watched her a lot. They didn't have more than passing conversations, though. At night, he lay in his bed in the clubhouse and thought of all the witty things he would say the next time he saw her; all the compliments he would give her, the jokes he would tell to make her smile that pretty, dimpled smile she had. But when it came time to act, the words would die on his lips. He'd never been smooth with the girls, not ever. In high school, he'd had exactly three dates and only one serious girlfriend. He had been fumbling and awkward. He was a nerd, the president of the computer club; who happened to be good at auto mechanics.

Girls hadn't noticed at him. It had become better since he came to California. He'd bulked himself up quite a bit so he wasn't so scrawny anymore and he had traded his glasses for contacts. He had hooked up with several girls, but nothing serious. None of them gave him the butterflies in his stomach like Clarissa did.

Juice could tell by looking at Clarissa that she had been popular throughout school. He knew she'd been involved in a lot of sports and teams and stuff. Probably went to pep rallies and parties. He never did any of that. He spent his Friday nights playing Dungeons and Dragons in his friend Seth's bedroom, eating Doritos and slurping down Coke's.

He watched her now, on her break. She was sitting at one of the picnic tables, drinking a Mountain Dew and reading a Stephen King book.

"Why don'cha just go and talk to her?" Chibs' voice sounded by his ear and he jumped, startled.

"What?"

"Clarissa." Chibs dropped down beside him. "Instead of staring holes in the poor girl, just go talk to her."

"And say what, exactly?" Juice looked at the older man. "Every time I start to say anything to her, I trip over my tongue."

"You could start with something simple, Prospect." Chibs rolled his eyes. "Like, I dunno, _hello _maybe?"

Juice opened his mouth and then closed it again. He could do it, he thought. Just go over and sit down beside her, ask her about her book. He glanced at Chibs, who was grinning at him.

"Go on then, kid." He said. "Take a little break and talk to the girl."

Juice stood and brushed his hands against his jeans. He walked over to where Clarissa sat.

"Hi," He said. She looked up at him.

"Hey," She replied. "What's up?"

"Nothing." So far, so good, he thought. "Just taking a break. Can I sit?"

"Oh, sure." She scooted down the bench a little bit and he sat beside her.

"So…um…what're you reading?" He asked.

She held up the book. "Christine. It's my favorite."

"Is that the one with the car?" Juice wasn't a big Stephen King fan.

Clarissa nodded. "Yeah. Do you know it?"

He shook his head. "Not really; I think I saw the movie though."

She rolled her eyes. "The movie blows. It's so corny. The book is way better."

"Maybe I should read it." He mused. She smiled.

"Here, you can borrow my copy." She handed it to him.

"Aren't you in the middle of it?" He asked. She shrugged.

"I've read it a thousand times." She told him. "Take it."

He looked down at the hard back book. It was obvious she had read it several times. "Okay. Thanks. I'll start it tonight."

She smiled at him again. "So…Clay says you're from New York City?"

"Queens, actually." He said.

"That's so cool." She said. "I was born in Charming and I've lived here my whole life. I've hardly been out of California."

He shrugged. "This is the first time I've ever lived away from home." He admitted. "When I came to Charming, I mean."

"Why'd you move out here?" She asked…then faltered. She had forgotten, for a second, the number one M.C. rule: don't ask questions.

"I got into some trouble." He told her, not elaborating. "I thought it would be best if I…" He trailed off, not sure how to continue.

"Got the hell out of dodge?" She supplied and he grinned.

"Yeah." He shrugged. "I got on my bike and I left."

"And ended up here." She said.

"And ended up here." He repeated.

Across the garage, Gemma nudged Clay. "Look at that." She said, indicating to Juice and Clarissa. "Looks like our girl found a new friend."

"Maybe it'll take her mind off that asshole for awhile." Clay said. He watched the Prospect laugh with his surrogate daughter. "Prospect!" He yelled. "I'm payin' you to work, not to flirt with the pretty girls!"

"Um…yeah…." Juice fumbled his way back into the garage. Clarissa drained the last of her soda and headed back into the office.

"So, I see you're taking an interest in the new kid." Her Mom said to her. Clarissa rolled her eyes.

"We were just talking, Mom." She said. "Don't make more of it than it is."

Gemma grinned. "We'll see." She said.


	3. Chapter Three

**Author's Note: Once again, thank you to all the reviews and adds! You guys rock and I'm so glad you like this story, especially the dorky way I write Juice. Kurt Sutter has said that Juice is a computer whiz, but a social nerd and that's what I'm trying to convey. Also, a big shout out to Max, who left the longest, nicest review I ever gotten! Thank you!**

* * *

"I'm thinking about having a dinner." Gemma said.

Clarissa and Clay both looked up from their plates. The three of them were seated around the table, eating their supper.

"When?" Clay asked.

Gemma thought for a second. "Maybe tomorrow night, if everyone can make it. We'll get all the guys, Summer and her boyfriend can come, Jax can bring his new girlfriend. It'll be fun. Our first one of the summer. Maybe we can barbeque on the deck or something."

"Sounds great, Mom." Clarissa said.

"Clay, be sure and invite the new kid." Gemma told him.

Clay grinned. "Get Ris to do it. She's all buddy-buddy with him now. Loaning him books and all." He looked at his step-daughter. "You know that's what he did last night? Left the party early to shut himself up in his room and read that book you let him borrow. Tiggy told me."

Clarissa shrugged her shoulders. "You say that like it's a bad thing."

"I think it's cute." Gemma said. "He likes you, Ris. You should give him a shot; he's way better for you than Chris ever was."

"I barely know him." Clarissa said. She stabbed a forkful of salad and shoved it in her mouth.

"So isn't that what dating is all about? Getting to know someone."

"Why are you pushing so hard for this, Mom?" Clarissa asked. "What if he doesn't even get patched in? Then what?"

"I'm not pushing for anything." Gemma told her. "We're just tired of seeing you so depressed. You have been for months."

"No, I haven't been." She argued. Gemma just smiled and pushed away from the table.

"I'm finished. I'm going to go start calling around and seeing who can make it tomorrow night."

When her mother left the room, Clarissa looked at Clay.

"All right, spill. Why is she pushing for me to hook up with this guy?"

Clay took a bite. "She just wants you to be happy." He said as he chewed. "After what happened with shithead…she wants you to be with someone who treats you right."

"Chris treated me right." She said automatically. Clay snorted.

"He treated you like dirt." He said. "You know how many times I had to keep from popping him in the face over something he'd say to you? Your brother, Opie, they all hated him."

"Yeah, well…we don't even know Juice." She said. "He could be a fuckin'…axe killer for all we know."

"Yeah, because that's likely." Clay said sarcastically. Clarissa flushed a little bit.

"We don't even know why he's in Charming." She said finally.

"Just because _you _don't know, that don't mean that the _club_ doesn't know." Clay said. "I'm done too. Load the dishwasher for your mother, Clarissa."

He left the room. Clarissa scowled. She hated doing the dishes.

* * *

The next afternoon, her mother was on the phone once again, nailing down exactly who was coming. All of the guys, she thought. Opie was bringing Donna and Ellie. Bobby and Precious and their kids were coming, along with Kyle and April's family. Otto and Luann would be there. And Tig, Chibs, and Juice were all coming straight from the clubhouse.

"Can Summer make it?" Gemma asked. Clarissa nodded. She was standing in front of her bathroom sink, fresh out of the shower, a towel wrapped around her skinny body. The radio blared beside her

"Yeah, but not Brandon. He's working the night shift, so Summer's spending the night here."

"That's fine." Gemma replied absent mindedly.

"Jax is coming for sure?" Clarissa asked. Gemma looked at her, and leaned against the door jam.

"Of course." She said. "Why wouldn't he be?"

"Is he bringing Stank Leg?"

Gemma narrowed her eyes. "I told you to quit calling her that! Her name is Wendy."

"I know what her name is." Clarissa said, working some mousse into her blonde locks. Ashanti's 'Foolish' started playing on the radio and she cranked it up, so she could hear it over the hair dryer. Gemma rolled her eyes and started away from the door.

"You should wear your red and white striped shirt tonight." She said a few minutes later when she came back.

"That shirt makes me look like "Where's Waldo"." Clarissa replied. She wasn't sure her mother could hear here over Ashanti's refrain of "_you ain't never gonna change, never gonna change, never gonna change_", so she turned the radio down and repeated herself.

"It does not; it's very cute on you." Gemma grinned. "Wear with your white shorts, I bet Juice would love it."

Clarissa sent her mother the stink eye. "Oh yes, because I live my life to dress for Juice Ortiz." She said, sarcasm dripping from each word. "Puh-_lease_."

"Horizontal stripes make your boobs look bigger." Gemma said.

"I'm wearing my blue tank top." Clarissa told her as she pulled her hair back into a low ponytail and then secured it up with a clip.

"That one looks good too." Gemma said. "It brings out your eyes. Look, are you gonna be polite to Wendy tonight or am I gonna have to kick your ass? Because she's the first girl your brother has shown more than a passing interest in since-."

"Since Tara." Clarissa interrupted. "Yeah, I know. I'll be nice. She's all right, I guess. I just don't know her that well."

"Well, you have to get to know her." Gemma said. "Speaking of getting to know people, about Juice-."

"Jesus Christ, Mother, will you let that go?" Clarissa shouted. She turned the radio back up and Gemma grinned. Nice to see she had gotten under the girl's skin.

When Juice turned off his bike, he stared up at the Teller-Morrow house with a slight feeling of awe. It was really nice. Having grown up with a five floor walk up, sharing a tiny, two bedroom apartment with his grandparents and brother, this house seemed huge.

"You gonna stand there and gawk all day, Prospect, or are you coming?" Chibs asked when realized Juice wasn't behind him.

"Huh? Oh, yeah. Coming." Juice caught up with the older man.

Chibs didn't even bother to knock; he just walked in, with Juice on his heels. The first thing Juice noticed about the décor was the pictures. There were framed pictures everywhere, some hanging on the walls, some propped up on tables and counters. There were pictures of Gemma and Clay, pictures of Jax and Clarissa. He paused at one of the brother and sister together; Jax couldn't have been more than nine, which would've put Clarissa at about three. There was another little boy in the picture too, and Juice realized it was Thomas, Clarissa's twin brother who had died when they were six.

"Quit gawking about and come on." Chibs hissed and Juice caught up to him again. He followed the Scotsman through the house and out the back sliding glass doors where everyone else was.

The grill was already going kids were running around everywhere. Clarissa was sitting in a lawn chair wearing a bright blue tank top and a pair of white shorts that made her tanned legs look impossibly long. She was laughing with another blonde girl, who Juice recognized as her best friend Summer.

Summer Trager was Tig's niece and had been Clarissa's best friend since kindergarten. She was a short, curvy girl with reddish blonde hair and big green eyes.

"I think he's cute." She whispered to Clarissa when Juice stepped out on the deck.

"You think everyone is cute." Clarissa replied, not wanting to admit that she like the way Juice looked in his jeans and t-shirt, the way his Prospect cut hung on him.

"I know, but I think he's cute." Summer giggled. Clarissa rolled her eyes. "Don't you?"

"He's all right." Clarissa shrugged. But she couldn't help smiling at him when he took the lawn chair beside her.

"Hey." He said.

"Hi," She indicated her friend. "You know Summer?"

"Yeah, we've met." Summer grinned at him. "Hello, Juice."

"Hi." He answered, feeling stupidly shy. When he was in school, girls like Summer never smiled at him like that.

"You look nice." He said awkwardly to Clarissa.

"Thank you."

Summer giggled again. "You two are so cute." She stood up. "I'm gonna go talk to Uncle Tig." She sashayed off to where he uncle was drinking a beer.

"Um…" Juice couldn't think of a single thing to say.

"Do you like the book so far?" Clarissa asked suddenly. "Christine, I mean."

"Oh, yeah." He nodded. "Yeah, it's good. I'm only about half way through it, though."

"Have you gotten to the part where…wait, no." She stopped. "I don't wanna give anything away, in case you're not there yet."

"It's okay." He said. "I'm just past the part where those guys beat the shit out of the car."

"Oh." Clarissa nodded. "But you like it, though?"

"Yeah." He said again. He didn't admit that it was because she had loaned it to him. She could've asked him to read the phone book and he would've found it thrilling.

There was a bit of a ruckus when Bobby and his family showed up, the two kids running off to join the others. Bobby held up his guitar.

"Look what I brought, Ris." He said. "After we eat, girl, you and I are going to entertain."

"Great." Clarissa answered. "I'll have to go get mine. It's in my room." She looked at Juice. "You wanna come with me?"

"Uh…" He looked around. "I guess."

"Come on." Clarissa said, ignoring the titters of the others. "I'll show you my room."

He followed her back into the house and up the stairs. There were more pictures on the stair case, school pictures alternating between Jax and Clarissa, getting younger as they climbed. At the top of the stairs he was greeted with a grinning five-year-old Clarissa, her blonde hair in pigtails, her two front teeth missing.

"This is my room." She said, opening the door. He wasn't sure what he expected, having actually never been in a girl's bedroom before, but he was pleasantly surprised.

The walls were hot pink, and the furniture was white. She had a huge bed with a canopy on it. The floor was wood like all the other rooms, and everything, from the bedding to the curtains to the rugs, were done in black and white zebra print. Her walls were decorated with posters and pictures.

"Just let me get my guitar." She told him. He paused by her bookcase which was crammed with books and movies.

"I didn't know you played." He said.

"Bobby taught me how, gosh, like ten years ago." She shrugged. "I like it. Come on."

When they got back downstairs, everyone was preparing to eat. Juice filled his plate, not really paying attention to what he was eating. He knew he was being ribbed for going up to Clarissa's room, but he didn't care.

After they were done eating, Bobby grinned at Clarissa and held up his guitar. She rolled her eyes in a jokey way and picked up her own.

They played classic rock songs, some Juice knew and some he didn't. Bobby's voice was deep and smooth; Clarissa's high and clear as a bell.

"All right," Tig said after they had done about three songs. "I wanna hear Ris and Gemma do one together."

"Yeah," Luann, Big Otto's wife, said. "DO Angel from Montgomery, Gem."

Gemma looked at her daughter. "What do you think?"

Clarissa shrugged. "If you want."

Gemma moved to sit next to her and Clarissa began to strum her guitar. Together, they began.

"_I am an old woman, _

"_Named after my mother_

"_My old man is another, _

"_Child who's grown old"_

Juice leaned back in his chair, listening to this song he had never heard. Clarissa and Gemma's voices blended perfectly together, he thought. He closed his eyes; he could still faintly smell the barbeque and the Citronella candles Gemma had lit to keep the bugs away. And he knew, in his gut, that this was where he was supposed to be.


	4. Chapter Four

**Author's Note: Once again, thank you to everyone who's reading, liking, and reviewing this story! I'm so glad you all like it! This won't be a very long story, probably only about 14 chapters or so. But...there will be more stories, which will be the arc of the actual show, all told from Clarissa's POV. So there's that to look forward to.**

* * *

The headboard banged rhythmically against the wall, the sound punctuated by her cries of pleasure. A shaft of moonlight illuminated those bright blue eyes, glazed now as he plunged himself into her. She called out his name, practically sung it as her body surged beneath his.

_Juice. Juice. _

"Yo, Juice!"

He awoke with spectacular morning wood, the sun beaming into his eyes and more than a vague sense of embarrassment that it was Jax calling his name instead of his little sister. At least it was already deflating the hard-on, he thought, as he jumped out of bed and dragged on his jeans.

"Coming!" He called back through the door.

"Gemma brought doughnuts and coffee." Jax told him. "Come on."

Juice pulled on his Prospect cut and followed Jax out into the main room of the clubhouse. The scent of fried dough and sugar hit him immediately.

"Have a cup of coffee." Opie started to push a mug towards him, but he shook his head.

"Ah, I don't like coffee." He said.

"Here." Clarissa sat a twenty ounce bottle of Coke Classic down in front of him. "I got this for you. I hate coffee too." She half smiled and held out her Mountain Dew.

Opie snorted and grabbed another doughnut as Clarissa sat down. "How'd you know he didn't like coffee, Ris?"

She rolled her eyes. "I pay attention."

Juice felt slightly uncomfortable, given the nature of the dream he'd been having of Clarissa not ten minutes before. And the fact that she not only knew that he didn't like coffee, but knew what he did like and had thought to grab him a bottle of it? That made his heart speed up a little bit.

"What's going on with them?" Across the room, Jax sat with his mother. He nodded to Clarissa and Juice.

"I think it's cute." Gemma said. "He's a sweet kid and he seems like he really likes her."

"Does she like him?"

"I think she does, she just doesn't want to admit it yet." Gemma looked at her son. "Jax, don't you be scaring him off, you hear me? Your sister needs a good man to take care of her."

Jax grinned. "A man's got a right to feel a dude out, especially if he's sniffing around his kid sister."

And that's exactly what Jax planned to do.

* * *

"So," Several hours later, Jax dropped down beside Juice, who was tuning up a bike. "What's going on with you and my little sister?"

"Uh, I don't know what you mean." Juice said. They both glanced towards the office, where Clarissa and Gemma were filling out some repo paperwork.

"Don't give me that shit." Jax said. "I've seen you with her. You really like her, right? You're not just trying to get in her pants? 'Cause my sister; she ain't just some piece of ass."

"I know that." Juice said quickly. "I would never…I mean, I don't just think she's a piece of ass, Jax. I swear."

"Good." Jax nodded. "Because I know I brought you to the club, but if you hurt Clarissa, in any way, I don't have problem ripping that cut right off your back, along with your skin. You feel me?"

Juice nodded. "Got it."

Clarissa came out of the office. "We got repos, Chibs." She looked at Juice. "You wanna go?"

He glanced at Jax, who grinned and rolled his eyes. "Go on. Remember what I told you though."

Juice nodded again.

"What'd he tell you?" Clarissa asked.

"Oh…nothing important." He answered. She shrugged.

"Whatever. Let's go."

In the repo truck, it was a tight squeeze with three of them and Juice had a hard time ignoring Clarissa's right thigh pressed up against his left one, especially since most of hers was showing in a pair of denim cutoff's. She did have some amazing legs, he thought, so long and tanned and smooth looking. He wondered what they felt like, if he'd ever get to touch them or wrap them around his body…

He felt himself growing hard again and quickly tried to think about something else. Anything else.

Clarissa was also having a hard time not noticing Juice. He smelled good, she thought. Not like Chris and his meathead friends had, doused in body spray. Juice smelled like Irish Springs soap, a scent she had always loved. It had been the soap her father had always used.

Chibs glanced at the two kids out of the corner of his eye. They were so cute, he thought, trying to ignore each other. He deliberately made a sharp right turn so that Clarissa fell into the Prospect. Then he laughed to himself. This was fun.

Juice looked down at Clarissa, who was trying to extract herself from his side. "Sorry." She said. She shot Chibs a filthy look over her shoulder. "Dude, this isn't the indie 500, you know."

"Turn was sharper than I thought, lovey." He said. "Besides, the Prospect don't mind you all over him, do you Juicy Boy?"

"I…uh…no." He stuttered. "No, it's fine."

Chibs looked at Juice. "So, when are you gonna ask this pretty girl out on a date?"

"I…uh…"

"Because she's an adult now, you know. Lot's of guys been waitin' to scoop her up."

"Chibs, shut up." Clarissa crossed her arms and sunk down in the seat. "Leave him alone."

"Just tryin' to help my Prospect out, darlin'." He said. "And if he's too scared too ask you out…"

"I'm not too scared." Juice said. He looked at Clarissa. "You wanna go out sometime?" He felt like sticking his tongue out at Chibs.

She was surprised he had actually done it. "I…yeah….sure. I'd love to go out with you, Juice."

He shot a triumphantly thankful look at Chibs. "Really?"

"Yeah, really." She smiled at him. "You're cute and I like you. So okay. Let's go out on a date."


	5. Chapter Five

**Author's Note: Once again, thank you all for the awesome reviews/adds/favorites! It really makes my day! And someone asked, I forget who, when I said there were going to be more stories, was a planning them to be Clarissa/Juice. Yes, they will be. I'm planning on going through the seasons of the show, all told from Clarissa and Juice's POV. This, I guess, is a prequel to all that.**

* * *

"So," Clay looked at his step-daughter. "Word on the street is you got a hot date tonight with the Prospect."

Clarissa looked up from the papers she was filing. "Well, I wouldn't say _hot_, but yeah. How'd you know…?"

She followed Clay's gaze to the resident Scotsman and her eyes narrowed. "Chibs." She huffed his name out like an oath. "Can't that son-of-a-bitch keep _anything_ to himself?"

"I wasn't aware it was a secret." Clay said.

"It's not." She replied. "I just…I don't know. What do you think?"

"What do I think about what?" Clay asked.

"Me and Juice…what's your take on it?"

Clay sat down in the chair next to her. "He's a good kid." He said. "He listens well, takes orders. Perfect son-in-law material."

"You _better_ be joking."

Clay raised his hands in mock surrender. "I am. Seriously, if he makes you happy, I think it's great."

They both looked up as Opie went clattering out of the garage, and climbed on his bike.

"Where's he going?" Clay asked, opening the door.

"Donna just went into labor." Piney answered, heading for his own bike. "I'm going to go get Ellie and drop her back here. Can you keep an eye on her for awhile, Ris?"

"Oh, yeah." Clarissa nodded. "For a few hours anyway."

"You mother and I will take her so you can have your date." Clay told her. "Don't worry about it."

Ten minutes later, Clarissa was holding two-year-old Ellie on her hip.

"Mommy's haffing a baby, Rissy." Ellie told her, her little blonde pigtails bobbing. "I'ma haffa brother."

"I know, sweetie." Clarissa hitched her up. "Come on in the office with Rissy, okay?"

Juice watched them. He'd never really seen Clarissa with kids; he was surprised at how comfortable she was with Ellie.

"You hoping to get a look at your future?" Clay asked at his shoulder.

"What?"

He nodded towards Clarissa with the baby. "Looks good with a kid on her hip, huh?"

"Oh," Juice finally got what Clay was hinting at. "Yeah, I guess."

"Where you taking her tonight?"

"Just to get something to eat." Juice said. "No big deal."

"I know Jax has already talked to you about what happens if you even _think_ about messing that girl around. You need to know that that threat goes double for me."

"Y-yeah." Juice nodded as Clay leaned closer to him.

"Clarissa's the closest thing I got to a daughter and I love her like she was my own." He said. "I'd hate to have to kick the living shit out of you."

"I won't…I mean, I'm not…" Juice took a deep breath. "I wouldn't do that to her."

"Good." Clay clapped his hand down, hard, on Juice's shoulder. "That's good to know."

* * *

At ten till six, Clarissa passed little Ellie off to Gemma. "I'm gonna run home and take a shower." She said. "Change my clothes. Can you let Juice know I'll be back here at 6:30? We're taking my car tonight."

"All right." Gemma said. "I'll tell him."

When the garage closed at 6:00, Juice hurried into the clubhouse and took the world's fastest shower. Then, dripping wet with a towel around his waist, he stood in front of his meager amount of clothes. He'd left New York with next to nothing and honestly, he hadn't culled much since then. As for date clothes? He didn't have anything. He finally settled on a clean pair of jeans and a white t-shirt. It have to would do.

Clarissa was there at 6:30 on the nose. She looked very pretty; he thought, in her low-slung jeans and a pink shirt, one of those that tied around the neck. She wore her long hair down. The color of a peeled banana, it hung past her shoulder blades, nearly to the middle of her back.

She made her way over to Juice, ignoring the whistling and cat-calling that was going on. "You ready to go?"

"Yeah." He said. "You look really pretty."

She grinned. "Thanks."

"Don't do anything I wouldn't do, Prospect!" Tig called out and the room burst into laughter. Juice felt his cheeks heat up a little bit. Clarissa rolled her eyes.

"Ignore them." She said. "Let's go."

He climbed into the passenger seat of her Mustang. The seat covers were zebra printed, as was the steering wheel cover and a pair of fuzzy dice that hung from her rearview mirror. He remembered her bedroom and thought she really must like zebras.

A precarious stack of cd cases set on her console. He picked two of them up. One was The Dixie Chick's album _Fly_. The other was Nine Inch Nails' _Sin_. You couldn't get much farther apart on the music spectrum, he thought.

"You like music from all genres, huh?" He asked. She nodded.

"Yeah. But we can listen to whatever you want." She said. He looked at the stereo.

"What's in there now?"

She didn't even have to think about it. "The Goo Goo Dolls." She replied. "Dizzy Up the Girl."

"I love The Goo Goo Dolls." He told her. "They're one of my favorite bands."

"Me too." She said. She looked at him as she pulled out onto the street. "So, where do you wanna go?"

He shrugged. "I don't care." He said. "How do you feel about pizza?"

She smiled. "I know the perfect place."

That was the good thing about dating a hometown girl, Juice thought, she knew all the good places to go. They talked about music all the way across town, to the Pizza Express. She admitted that Aerosmith was her favorite band of all time, he copped to listening to New Kids on the Block when he was in middle school.

Clarissa silently thanked God it was a Tuesday night and the place was next to empty. Not that she was embarrassed about being seen with Juice or anything, but on Friday nights the place was packed with high school kids, most of whom she knew. She wasn't sure what this thing between her and Juice was yet and she didn't want to have to explain it to anyone.

After they'd gone inside and sat down, ordered their pie, they just kind of looked at each other. Juice bit the inside of his cheek. He'd done everything he could think of to get her on this date and now that he had her here, he was choking up. Uh-uh. Not gonna happen.

"So…um…tell me about yourself." He said finally, feeling incredibly lame.

She smiled. "What do you wanna know?"

"What's…your favorite color?"

"Teal blue." She answered. "What's yours?"

"Red." He said. He thought for a second. "Best movie of the Eighties, in your opinion?"

"Footloose." She replied. "It may be the greatest movie ever made, plus it had Kevin Bacon in it. You?"

"Back to the Future." He grinned when she made a face. "What? It's an awesome movie. I like The Breakfast Club, too."

"Oh, me too." She said. "And Sixteen Candles." She smiled up at the waitress when she brought them their drinks, a Coke and a Mountain Dew. "I feel like we talk all the time and I hardly know you. My life is an open book, I wanna know about you, Juice."

He felt a little uncomfortable, hoping she wouldn't ask why he left Queens. "What do you wanna know about me? I mean, there's not much to tell."

"What's your real name?" It was something she'd been wondering for awhile.

He half-smiled, ducked his head a little. "Juan-Carlos." He admitted. "But they've called me Juice since elementary school."

"Why do they call you that? Who started it?"

"My best friend, Seth Meyers started it in the fourth grade." He said, taking a drink. "He said it was because I'm always juiced up. I was kind of…_hyper _as a kid."

Clarissa eyed his leg, which seemed to never stop jiggling under the table. "I never would've guessed." She joked dryly. "Seth Myers, huh? Sounds incredibly Jewish."

He grinned. "He is. The neighborhood I grew up in is mostly Jewish people. We were the only Puerto Ricans on the block." He leaned forward and dropped his voice. "I can't even speak Spanish."

She grinned. "I won't tell, I swear." She took a sip of soda. "What about your parents?"

He shrugged. "I never met my Dad. I don't even know who he is. My Mom…she wasn't around much," He admitted. "My Nan and Pop, my Mom's parents, they raised me and Hugo. We're half brothers." He explained. "She was seventeen when she got pregnant with me and she stayed with them for awhile, till I was born. She left three weeks after. I didn't see her again till I was two, when she showed up with Hugo, who was a newborn. She stayed a month that time and then she was gone again. She left both of us that time."

Clarissa blinked. "I'm sorry." She said. "I didn't realize…we don't have to talk about it if you don't want to."

He waved his hand, dismissing her concerns. "It doesn't bother me. It used to, when I was a kid. I wanted to know who my Dad was. She told me so many different stories on it; I didn't know for a long time what to believe. She was raped on her way home from school. One time she told me it was someone she was in love with, whose parents kept them apart. Another time, it was a rich older man who was married." He paused when the waitress brought their pizza, he didn't start talking again till she was gone.

"She came the closest to the truth, I think, on my sixteenth birthday. We were having a party," He explained. "And she showed up, bombed out of her mind, with some douche bag."

Clarissa tried to imagine what it was like for him, sixteen-years-old, having a good time with his friends and how embarrassed he must have been to have his mother show up, drunk or high, maybe both. She pushed the thoughts of her own Sweet Sixteen party, where her mother and Clay had gone all out for her, had bought her a brand new car, from her mind.

"I asked her again that night, after everyone had left." Juice continued. "I said I had a right to know." He took a bite of his pizza, chewed and swallowed it. "She laughed in my face. How the fuck was she supposed to know who it was? There had been so many, she lost count. I kind of knew it all along, I think."

"Knew what?" Clarissa asked, though she suspected what he was about to say.

"That she was whoring herself out for drugs when she got pregnant with me." He answered. "Turning tricks, you know? It was the same for Hugo. He doesn't know his Dad either." Juice shrugged. " Doesn't matter; Pop was all the father we needed. I think he did all right."

Clarissa smiled and touched his hand. "He did better than all right, Juice."

He grinned at her and laced his fingers through hers. "Thanks, Ris." He glanced down and looked back up. "I like you a lot." He admitted.

"I like you too, Juice." She replied.

They finished their pizza, holding hands across the table.

* * *

**Author's Note: And there you have it. I thought a little more background on Juice would be nice, since we don't really know that much about him. I tried to find out why they call him Juice, but nada. So I made a reason up. I thought it sounded plausible; I mean he IS always juiced up, right? :D Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed and be sure and leave a review to let me know what you thought!**


	6. Chapter Six

**Authors Note: Okay, I planned to have this up a lot earlier, but my Grandpa died last week and everything has been super crazy! But it's all calmed down and even though I'm still really sad (we were super close) and I'm ready to get back on track. So here we go!**

* * *

"Here, I got you this today." Clarissa handed Juice a black t-shirt. "So you won't stand out tonight."

He looked down at the shirt. It said "Oakland Roller Girls" in Day-Glo green letters. "Um…you want me to _wear_ this?"

Clarissa rolled her eyes. "We're all wearing them." She said. "Even the guys, I swear."

"All right." He relented, silently thanking God he'd have his cut on over it.

For their second date, Clarissa and Juice were headed into Oakland to watch her friend Katy compete in a roller derby. Apparently it was a huge thing among her friends. Juice was a little nervous. The only ones of Clarissa's friend's that he had met were Summer and her boyfriend, Brandon. Tonight he'd be meeting the rest of her group. It was nerve-wracking.

"Any chance we'll be running into your ex?" He asked. She shook her head.

"No, thank God. Chris says roller derby isn't a real sport."

Juice had to agree. That is, until he got there and saw it played. Then he changed his mind pretty quick.

They rode his bike to Oakland. This was the closest together they'd ever been and Juice would've been lying if he'd said he didn't like the feeling of Clarissa's breasts pressing into his back.

The abandon warehouse where the derby was being held was huge. Just pulling into the parking lot, Juice could see tons of people and hear loud rock blaring from inside.

"Ris!"

They both turned to look at girl rushing up to them. She had short, spiky black hair, the ends of which were tipped bright red. She had the most piercings Juice had ever seen on one person, her nose, her lip, her eyebrow, and all the way up both ears. Despite that, Juice thought she was a pretty girl.

"Is this him?" The girl asked, grinning. Clarissa blushed.

"Yeah," She said. "This is Juice. Juice, this is my friend Olivia Marciano."

"Hello." He told her.

"Call me Livvy." The girl said, holding out her hand. He shook it. "Ris had talked about you non-stop."

He grinned. "Really?"

"Where's Dave?" Clarissa asked loudly before her friend could answer. Livvy just grinned.

"He's trying to find a parking spot in this mad house." She answered. "I told him we'd meet him inside. Oh, there's Lucas!" She waved to a tall guy with short dishwater hair. "Luke! Over here!" The guy started their way.

"Lucas, this is Juice." The introductions went around again. "Juice, Lucas White."

"Hey," Lucas smiled. He was Katy's boyfriend.

On the way into the warehouse they met up with another couple, a few years older than Clarissa and her friends, closer to Juice's age.

"This is Lexi and James Murphy." Clarissa said, indicating to them, a girl with bleach blonde hair and an obviously pregnant belly, and her husband, a short guy with dark brown hair. "Lexi is Katy's big sister and James is the derby announcer."

"Really? What's that like?" Juice asked him. James grinned.

"Insane." He answered. "So, you're Clarissa's new boyfriend, huh?"

"Uh…well, I'm not her boyfriend." Juice said. James grinned again.

"Not yet." He said and winked.

"What're you handsome fella's talking about over here?" Clarissa came over to them and slipped her arms around Juice's waist.

"Nothing." Juice and James replied at the same time. She gave them a puzzled smile.

"Are you glad to see I wasn't lying about the shirt?" She asked. Juice realized that the entire group, excluding James who was supposed to remain impartial, was all wearing the exact same shirt he and Clarissa had on.

"Yeah." He said.

"It's starting." Clarissa slipped her hand inside his and they followed the crowd as it gravitated inside.

The place was a madhouse, he thought, once they made it in. There were probably three hundred people in a building made to fit one hundred, tops. It was hot, it was loud. Juice loved it.

"So, what exactly are the rules?" He asked. She grinned.

"Okay, well, it's a little confusing at first." She told him, talking loud to be heard over the din. "There are two teams, each with five players, on the track. One player is called the jammer, that's Katy on our team," She pointed out a girl with long, blonde curls, who was fastening on her helmet. "She scores the points. The other four players are called blockers. They protect their jammer and try to stop the other jammer from scoring. The jammer has two stars on her helmet."

"And how exactly does the jammer score?" Juice asked.

"She scores by passing the members of the other team." Clarissa explained. "She has to pass all the other girls without getting hit. She gets a point for every girl she passes."

"Okay, I think I got it." He said.

"I hope so." Clarissa replied. "Because they're starting."

"Ladies and Gentleman!" James was standing in the middle of the rink, talking into a mike. "Are you ready to derby?"

The crowd went insane, stamping their feet and screaming. James went on.

"During the day, they're Katy, Tessa, Mandy, Rebecca, and Grace!" He said. "But tonight they're Donna Destruction, Helen Highwater, Effie Bomb, Harlot O'Scara, and Johnny Crash! Ladies and gentlemen, the Oakland Roller Girls!"

The team, in their neon green and black uniforms skated out onto the track amid screams and catcalls. Juice cheered and hooted along with everyone else. This was the most fun he'd had in a long time.

The other team, the Iron Maidens, wore black and silver, and had names like Charley Horse and Foxy Balboa.

Once the game got started, Juice couldn't understand how Clarissa's ex-boyfriend could say that roller derby wasn't a real sport. It was the bloodiest thing he'd ever seen, especially when Johnny Crash took an elbow to the nose and had to be replaced with Barbara Fett.

"Well, what did you think?" Clarissa asked once it was over and the Oakland Roller Girls had won by three points.

"It was great!" Juice told her. He swung their hands back and forth. "I can't believe I never heard of this before!"

Clarissa grinned. "Well, it's only in the last few years that it's become popular again." She said. "But apparently it was a huge thing in the 70's."

"Well, it was awesome." He said. "And so are your friends."

"They liked you." She said. "James especially gave you his seal of approval."

"Really?" Juice didn't know why, but he was oddly flattered.

"Yeah." She said. "He said you were cool and to bring you around more."

"Are you going to?" He asked. "Bring me around more, I mean."

She grinned. "Yes."

They rode his bike back to her house. After Juice pulled into her driveway and shut it off, he walked her to the front door.

"Chris never walked me to the door." She said.

"I'm not Chris." He replied. She nodded and pushed her blonde hair back. It was messy from the ride and the helmet.

"I know that." She said. They stopped in front of the door. "Well…good night."

"Night." He said. But neither of them moved. They both just stood there.

"I had a fun time." She told him. He smiled.

"So did I."

Again, they just stood there, both of them waiting. Juice knew it was his move and he had to do it. So he did. He wrapped his arms around waist and pulled her close to him. She gave a little gasp of surprise and in that intaking of breath, Juice felt something stir deep in his belly. He brought his mouth down on hers and the jolt he felt when their lips met shocked him. Her mouth tasted faintly of cigarettes and Mountain Dew, a hint of the strawberry lip-gloss she'd been applying all night.

"You should've done that a lot sooner." She told him when they finally broke apart.

"How about if I do it again?" He asked and moved in for another kiss.

Inside the house, at the window, Gemma watched.

"They're kissing again." She told Clay. He grinned and rolled his eyes.

"Would you stop spying on them?" He said. Gemma looked away from the lip-locked young couple and back at her husband.

"No." She said. "She needs this. Juice could be good for her, don't you think?"

Clay shrugged. "I guess."

Gemma shook her head and went back to watching her daughter and the Prospect. Clarissa was still a little leery, although, Gemma thought, it looked as though her resolve was breaking. She shook her head and again and decided right then that she was going to do everything in her power to make sure this thing between Clarissa and Juice worked out.


	7. Chapter Seven

**Author's Note: Thank you all for the condolences for my Grandpa. I appreciate it. And now, onto the chapter!**

* * *

"You hittin' that yet?" Chibs asked Juice as the two of them lifted a motor out of an old Impala.

Juice didn't even have to ask what the Scotsman was talking about. He knew.

"Are you?" Chibs asked again.

"No," Juice answered. "Jesus Christ. No, we're not sleeping together."

"Yet." Chibs added. "Shit, you've been on what, three dates?"

"Yeah," Juice answered. They'd gone out again after the roller derby, to see a movie at the drive-in theater in Stockton. They'd kissed; hell Juice would even classify it as making out and he'd gotten a hand up her shirt, but they hadn't gone all the way.

He didn't want to admit it to Chibs, but he wanted their first time together to be special. Why? It had to do with what Clarissa had told him on their last date.

* * *

They'd ridden his motorcycle to the drive-in and had spread a blanket down on the ground to sit on. Juice had adjusted the speaker so they could hear the movie. The awesome thing about the Starlight Drive-In was that on Thursday nights, they played older movies and this Thursday night was no different. Dirty Dancing played on the big screen as Juice and Clarissa lay kissing on the blanket. He moved his mouth up her jaw line to her ear and then down into the hollow of her neck. She shivered

"Are you cold?" He whispered. She shook her head.

"No." She told him. "Just…excited." He grinned and brought his mouth back to hers. They kissed for a few more minutes and then he began to inch his way up her stomach, under her tank top.

"Is this okay?" He asked and she nodded.

He made his way further up, feeling the lacy material of her bra. He slipped his hand underneath it and began to trace his finger in circles around her nipple. She moaned into his mouth and he felt it harden beneath his fingers, as he hardened in his jeans.

They stayed like that for a bit until he reached down to unbutton her jeans. That's when she pulled away.

"Stop," She said. "Please."

He immediately obliged. "What is it? Did I hurt you?"

She shook her head. "No…I just…I've never done that before."

He looked at her, all thoughts of getting his hand down her pants forgotten for the moment. "What do you mean?"

She looked down, her hair falling in front of her face like a curtain. "I've never….I mean…I'm a virgin." She said finally.

Juice hadn't expected that. She'd not told him otherwise, but he knew that she and Chris had been together for a long time. He'd just assumed they'd done the deed.

"Oh." Was all he could think of to say.

Clarissa peeked up at him. "That doesn't change things for us, does it?"

He shook his head, smiled at her. "Of course not. Why would it?"

"Part of the reason Chris broke up with me was because I wouldn't have sex with him." She shrugged. "I wasn't ready and he kept pushing it at me."

"And you're still not?" He asked. "Ready to go all the way, I mean." She hesitated and then shook her head.

"Not tonight." She said. "Is that okay?"

"Yeah." He said. "Yeah, Ris, of course its okay."

She smiled and leaned forward. They kissed again and he pulled her close to him.

* * *

"Hello?" Chibs waved his hand in front of Juice's face. "You in there, Prospect?"

"What? Oh," He pulled himself out of his thoughts. "Yeah. Sorry. What were you saying?"

"I was saying," Chibs began. "That the Fourth is tomorrow and I know you American's take that shit real serious. You takin' Ris to the fireworks?"

"Yep." He nodded. "Parade first, then the carnival, and then the fireworks. Got it all planned out."

"The M.C. rides in the parade every year, you know?" Chibs commented.

Juice nodded. "I know. Clarissa told me."

"Maybe next year, you'll be riding with us."

* * *

Across town, Clarissa held baby Kenny across her lap.

"He's gorgeous, Donna." She said. Donna grinned.

"I know, isn't he?" She cocked her eyebrow at Clarissa. "So, tell me more about your dates with Juice, huh? Ope won't give me any details; I feel so out of the loop!"

Clarissa shrugged. "Not much to tell. We had pizza, went to the roller derby, and to the drive-in. No big thing."

"And you haven't done the dance with no pants yet?"

It was Clarissa's turn to raise her brows. "Nice talk, Mommy."

"At the moment, between child birth and child rearing, my sex life is at a low ebb. I have to get my thrills somewhere." Donna folded a onesie and threw it the clean clothes basket. "How's he kiss?"

Clarissa grinned and leaned back, closing her eyes. "Like a dream." She admitted. "He knocks me off balance…and I like it."

"So you do like him." Donna commented. "And you spend time with him, so you must enjoy him. Remind me again, why aren't you jumping his bones?"

The younger woman shrugged. "I don't know." She admitted. "I told him I wasn't ready, but…I think I am."

"He scares you, doesn't he?" Donna nodded and smiled, continued to fold baby clothes.

"I fear no man." Clarissa replied, smiling back. "Not even this one, who it seems, has just filled his diaper." She handed the baby to Donna. "Go to Mommy, sweetie."

"I think he scares you a little." Donna said. She crossed the room to the changing table and laid Kenny on it. "Ope scared me at first." She admitted. "He was so cute and serious; I just wanted to bite him in the throat. And then, after we started seeing each other, the thought of meeting the club scared me."

"What?" Clarissa asked. "_Why?"_

"You all are the only family Opie really ever knew. How would a nice, country girl like me fit in to that?"

"You do, though." Clarissa could barely imagine Opie without Donna. "You fit in perfectly to fabric."

Donna finished changing Kenny's diaper. She looked at Clarissa. "I said no the first time Ope asked me to marry him, you know."

"What?" This was news to Clarissa. "You said no to Opie?"

Donna nodded. "Complete panic. No, no, are you crazy? Let's just keep everything the way it is. We're fine; we don't need to get married. Leave it alone."

"Did he?"

Donna smiled. "For about an hour. Then he came back at me and told me to stop being stupid."

"Romantic devil."

"He was, actually. He was so revved up and sexy. I love you; you love me, let's cut the bullshit and start building our life together." She picked up the baby and kissed his belly. "Thank God he did. Look what we have to show for it now."

"What are you trying to tell me, Donna?" Clarissa asked. Donna sighed and smiled at her.

"Sometimes, you just gotta jump off the edge of the cliff, baby."

It was all Clarissa could think about on her drive back to T.M. She'd been, as her mother had put it, leery of Juice because of what had happened with Chris. But Juice wasn't Chris, she thought to herself. Not even close. When she told him the other night that she wasn't ready to have sex, he'd stopped. No whining, or cajoling, or trying to talk her into it. He didn't pull Chris' old line.

"_If you really love me, you'll do it."_

What she realized now was that if Chris had really loved her, he wouldn't have pushed her, wouldn't have dumped her because she didn't want to go all the way.

She didn't think she loved Juice, not yet, but she thought, he was definitely worth holding on to. And that's why when she got to the garage and shut off her car, she walked straight up to him, interrupted the conversation he was having with Chibs and kissed him on the mouth.

"What…what was that for?" He asked, ignoring the laughter and catcalls around them.

"A girl can't kiss her boyfriend?" She said. He raised his brows and looked down at her.

"Am I your boyfriend?" He asked. Clarissa grinned.

"Yeah." She said. "You are."


	8. Chapter Eight

"_She's a Yankee Doodle sweetheart_," Chibs sang, planting a kiss on Clarissa's cheek. "_Born on the Fourth of July."_

"I wasn't born on the Fourth, but thanks for the serenade." She told him, wiping a little bit of slobber from her cheek. The Scotsman was obviously ready to tie one on. "And you better stay sober, at least till after the parade. If Mom catches you trying to ride in it drunk, she'll have your ass."

"Don't I know it." He said. He leaned back and studied her over the rim of his sunglasses. "So…you and the Prospect."

Clarissa grinned. "Yep; me and the Prospect."

"Seems like a good fit." He said. "He's a good kid. I like him a lot more than I liked the last one. What was his name? Oh yeah, Douchey McDouchebag."

She smiled again. "Close enough." She paused, cocked her head at him. "Do you really think we seem like a good fit? Juice and me, I mean."

"Oh, aye." Chibs said. He lit a smoke. "I've been sayin' it from the get-go. 'Course, the boy's had his eye on you since he landed here."

"You mean since he started Prospecting." She corrected and he shook his head.

"No, I mean since he moved here and saw you for the first time." Chibs grinned around his cigarette. "Guess you didn't know that, didja?"

"That was like, a year ago." She replied. "You're so full of shit."

Chibs cocked his brow at her, something he was way too good at. "Am I?" He asked. "Why don't you ask him yourself then, missy? Ask him why he started hangin' around in the first place."

"Was it really because of me?" She asked. He rolled his eyes.

"Duh." He replied.

"How do you know?"

Chibs touched his index finger to the side of his nose. "Because I know shit." He said. "You meetin' him at the fairgrounds?"

She nodded. "Yeah, Mom's had him, Jax, Ope, and Kyle over there setting shit up since like, 7:00 this morning. I think I'm gonna leave the Mustang here, though. Can I catch a ride with you?"

He shrugged. "Sure, I guess."

Juice had been at the fairgrounds, per Gemma's request for hours. He, as the Prospect, got stuck with the shitty job of setting up their booth. Ope and Jax were figuring out something with the fireworks and Juice hadn't seen Kyle since they got there.

He looked up when he heard the motorcycle approach. He watched Clarissa climb off the back of Chibs' bike and hand him his extra helmet. He grinned as she waved and began to jog over to him. Some of the guys in the parking lot turned to watch her and Juice felt a swell of pride. That beautiful girl was _his_ girlfriend and she was running to meet _him_. And he had her, and this new life, because he was part of SAMCRO. Okay, he wasn't a member yet, but Jax had told him he was pushing for it. And with Clarissa in his corner…well, she said he was shoo-in.

"Hey, baby." She said when she reached him. "Workin' hard, I see."

He grinned and wrapped his arms around her. They were working up a pretty good kiss when Jax interrupted them.

"Dude, that is just sick." He said, lighting a smoke and tossing the pack to Opie. "Seriously, why you gotta paw all over my sister?"

"I think she likes it." Opie said. "Don't you, baby girl?"

Clarissa rolled her eyes. "Shut up." She said.

"Don't you got work to do, Prospect?" Jax asked. "I didn't see nothing about making out with my sister on the to do list."

"Right." Juice said. He pressed one last quick kiss to Clarissa's cheek. "See you in a bit."

"Bye." She said. She glared at her brother after Juice was gone. "Why do you have to treat him like that?"

Jax smirked. "He's still a Prospect, Ris. Just 'cause he's your guy now, that don't change shit."

"You're gonna make sure he gets patched in though, right?" She asked. Jax sighed and lost the smirk. He exchanged a look with Opie.

"We're gonna try, Ris." He said. "So far, everything seems good, but shit, he's only been at it for six weeks."

"He's got at least another eleven months to go." Ope reminded her.

"And there's no way you can speed that up?" She asked Jax. Her big brother shook his head.

"I don't think I can, darlin'." He told her. "You know that's not how these things work."

"Yeah." She said and sighed. "I know."

"I don't think you have anything to worry about, kiddo." Opie told her. "He's doing fine."

She watched Juice across the fairgrounds, where he had finally located Kyle.

"I hope so." She said finally.

The parade kicked the festivities off that day. Clarissa and Juice stood on the curb along Main Street and watched it, along with Gemma, Wendy, Donna, and the two kids. Juice carried Ellie on his shoulders so she could get a better look at things. Clarissa and Wendy were busy formulating a plan.

"Okay, when they come through with the candy, I'll go right and you go left." Clarissa was telling her. "You've gotta be quick to grab it are all the snot-noses will get the good stuff."

"Clarissa!" Gemma scolded as Juice and Donna laughed. "You can't take candy from the kids!"

"Wanna bet?" She said. "I'm getting it for Ellie."

Donna rolled her eyes. "Yeah right."

"It's starting." Juice said. He could hear the marching band drum coming closer. "I've never been to a parade like this before." He admitted to Clarissa.

"Really?" She asked. "Its one of Charming's highlights. The band marches, last years Prom King and Queen come through, all the businesses have floats. It's a lot of fun."

It was fun, Juice thought when it was over. The marching band played patriotic songs, the flag twirlers were decked out in red, white, and blue. He had more fun watching Clarissa's face though. She was grinning and waving at her friends who were in the parade, whispering rumors about the sexual activities of the Prom Queen when she came through in the back of a convertible. She cheered especially loud when SAMCRO roared through on their bikes, and she wasn't the only one.

When the parade was over, they headed over to the fairgrounds for the carnival. There were rides and games and food. Juice looked at Clay.

"You need me for anything?" He asked.

Clay eyed his stepdaughter and her boyfriend, their arms around each other, looking so young.

"Shit." He said. "Go on."

"What?" Juice asked, surprised. Clay rolled his eyes.

"I said, go on." He waved his hand. "Go have fun."

"I…okay." Juice wasn't about to question his good fortune. "If you're sure."

"Just go before I change my mind."

"That was incredibly nice of you." Gemma told him, kissing his cheek.

"Shit," Clay said again. "I just didn't want to listen to him moon over Clarissa all day."

"Yeah," Gemma said. "Sure."

"So what do you want to do first?" Juice asked. They were both giddy over his unexpected freedom.

"Let's ride some rides." Clarissa suggested. They got in line at the ticket booth.

They rode the rides, some of them several times, and played games. Juice won her a huge stuffed tiger at the balloon pop. They split a funnel cake and a giant lemon ice. In fact, it's when they were sitting on the curb eating that Clarissa spotted something…odd.

"Isn't that Kyle?" She asked, pointing. Juice squinted into the shadows where she was indicating. He could make out two people, locked at the lips. One of them most definitely looked like Kyle Hobart. The girl he was wrapped around, however, wasn't his wife.

"Yeah, and that isn't April with him." He said.

"What?" Clarissa stood and walked a few steps closer to get a better look. "Holy shit." She said when she came back.

"What?" Juice asked. "What is it?"

"I know that girl." She said. "She goes to the high school. She isn't even eighteen yet."

Juice raised his brows. "Are you sure?"

Clarissa nodded. "Yeah, she was a sophomore when I was a senior. God, she's like sixteen."

"That's gross." Juice said. "Kyle's like, thirty."

Clarissa nodded. "I know. And married. It's weird."

Juice looked back at the kissing couple. "Should we say something?" He asked.

Clarissa shrugged her shoulders. "I'll talk to my Mom about it tomorrow." She said.

Once it was good and dark, they found the rest of the club for the fireworks. They shared a blanket with Jax and Wendy and Chibs and the girl he was with, who Clarissa thought was called either Jessi or Jasmine. She leaned against Juice as the colorful fireworks exploded over their heads. He kissed her and the words bubbled up in his throat.

_I love you._

He didn't say them though. He couldn't, not yet.


	9. Chapter Nine

**Author's Note: Once again, a big thank you to everyone who has liked and reviewed this! Things are going to...um..._heat up_ during this chapter so its pretty much rated M. The real story line is going to pick up after this, so get ready for that.**

* * *

Clarissa looked at herself, naked, in the bathroom mirror. She'd just gotten out of the shower and was preparing to dry her hair. This, she thought, was the last time she'd look at herself as a virgin.

_She was ready_.

Her Mom and Clay were going up to Oregon for the night, a kind of little bed and breakfast getaway they'd planned. Well, Clarissa had plans of her own. She'd invited Juice to stay the night with her. She'd thought long and hard about it, and had even gotten the okay from her mother.

"Is this what you want?" Gemma had asked her. "To be with Juice? Because once you give it baby, there ain't no takin' it back."

She had nodded. "Yeah," She'd told her. "I'm ready."

Gemma looked at her hard. "He hasn't been pressuring you, has he? He doesn't seem the type, but you never can tell-."

Clarissa had to smile. "No, Mom, he hasn't been pressuring me."

The next time she'd seen Juice, she'd asked him if he wanted to spend the night.

"Um…are you sure that's a good idea?"

Clarissa waved her hand. "My Mom and Clay don't mind." She said. "Come on, we'll order pizza and watch movies. It'll be fun."

Neither of them mentioned having sex, but they were both thinking about it.

* * *

"You have protection?" Chibs asked Juice. Juice sighed and rolled his eyes.

"How many times do I have to tell you, it's not about that for me and Clarissa?" Was his answer.

"Do you?" Chibs persisted.

"Yes." Juice muttered, a little shamefaced.

"It's not a bad thing to hope for, kid." Chibs said. "Shit, she's a beautiful girl."

"It's not even that." Juice told him, scooping up his backpack. He began to stuff random things in it. Clean clothes, deodorant, and his toothbrush. "I mean, yes, she's beautiful, but it's like, she's even more awesome under the face, you know?"

Chibs grinned at him. "I think you're in love with her." He said.

Juice tried to roll his eyes, playing it cool. "Yeah, and if a frog had wings it wouldn't hit its ass on the ground when it hopped."

This remark only widened the Scotsman's smile. "Just admit it, Prospect. You're in love with her."

Juice's shoulders slumped a little bit. "I don't know." He said. "I've never…I mean, I never felt this way about anyone before."

Chibs thought for a second. "You think about her all the time?" He asked. "Feel like you'd do anything for her? If someone tried to hurt her, you'd kill 'em with your bare hands?"

Juice thought and then nodded. "Yep." He said.

"Yeah, you love her." Chibs leaned against the door frame. "You gonna tell her?"

Juice shrugged. "I don't know." He said. "Depends, I guess."

"On what?"

"On whether or not she loves me back."

* * *

Clarissa grinned when she heard the motorcycle in the driveway. She ran to open the door for him.

"Hey," She said, kissing him lightly. "Come in."

"Your Mom and Clay…?" He asked.

"Already gone." She said. "Make yourself at home; I'll put your stuff in my room."

He sat down on the sectional in the family room, marveling at actually being in a house that had a separate living room and family room. The TV in there alone was practically the size of his family's small living room back in Queens. And there were enough DVD's to stock a freakin' Blockbuster Video.

"So," Clarissa said when she came back in. "What do you wanna watch?"

Juice shrugged. "I don't care." He said. "Whatever you want."

She shook her head. "Uh-uh. You pick."

"All right." He stood and went to kneel in front of the DVD's. He grabbed the first one that caught his eye. "The Terminator is good."

"All right." Clarissa took it from him. "I'll set it up."

She shut off the lights and the room was dark except for the glow of the television. When she came over to the couch to sit down, she looked at him. "You can take off your boots and your cut, you know." She said. "Make yourself comfortable."

He nodded and obliged. "Better?" He said. She nodded and cuddled up next to him as the movie began. They watched in semi-silence for the first hour, laughing at the bad special effects. Juice was explaining to Clarissa how they were actually pretty high tech for 1984, when he felt her hand on his upper thigh. He couldn't help it; he hardened instantly in his jeans. He looked down at her, but she wasn't meeting his eyes. She just kept moving her hand up.

"Clarissa," He whispered and instinctively, she glanced up at him. He caught her face in his hand and brought their lips together.

This kiss was different from their others, she thought. It was more passionate somehow, and she felt like she was sinking into a slow bath.

"Let's go upstairs." She suggested and then giggled when he tripped over his own feet getting up.

They left the movie playing and she took his hand, leading him through the darkened house and up to her room. She turned on her small bedside lamp.

"I have protection." She admitted.

"I have that covered." He said and then blushed. "I mean, not yet…I don't…" He took a deep breath and started over. "I have some condoms with me."

She sat on her bed, patted the spot next to her. He sat. "Hoping for this too, were you?" She asked with a smile.

He smiled back. "Yeah." And he leaned down to kiss her again.

She thought it would be awkward, but it wasn't. It was easier than she thought it would be, the way they turned to each other, into each other. The hands and the kisses and the thrill that leapfrogged over nerves.

Juice's lips on her neck, his hands on her breast, over her shirt and then sliding under it. They'd been here before, but not with the knowledge that this was only the beginning. He helped her pull her t-shirt over her head and waited while she reached around, unhooking her bra. Then he just stared. Her breasts were small, barely a handful, pale and pink-tipped.

"What?" She asked, suddenly a little self-conscious. "What is it?"

"You're beautiful." He said simply and she felt the heat rising up in her face. He was the first man to ever see her without her top on.

He pulled off his shirt and they began to kiss again. He moved his lips down her neck, into the well of her breasts. She gasped a little when he took when one into his mouth. That was new…she liked it.

"Is this okay?" He asked and she nodded.

"Don't stop." She was amazed at how breathless she sounded. He grinned and laid her back on the bed, taking her into his mouth again.

When he moved his hand under her panties, between her legs, she tensed up. This is where she'd stopped before. Anything beyond this was one-hundred percent new to her.

He stopped, this sweet boy, whose heart she could feel hammering against her own.

"We don't have to keep going." He said. "We can stop if you want-."

"No." She told him. She peeled off her panties, and then took his hand and placed it back at her center, pressing hard. "Don't stop."

She closed her eyes and felt the shudders run through her as he began to move his fingers again. She clutched at him, trying to find her balance and then letting it go. He whispered her name and she felt him shudder too. He moved his mouth back to her breast, all wet and hot, pulling body wracking sensations up from her belly. She pulled his boxers down and he kicked them off, a little ungracefully. She felt for him, surprised by hard he was, bigger than she thought it would be. She began to explore, moving her hand up and down. And when he sucked in his breath and reared up, she snatched her hand away like she'd been burned.

"I'm sorry. Did I do something wrong?" She asked.

"No, no." He sucked in another breath. "I just need to…ah…suit up."

"Oh." Everything in her was quivering, so she must be ready. "Okay."

He pulled a condom from his bag beside the bed. Her first instinct was to look away, but she fought it. If he was going to be inside her, that part of him inside her, it was better to look, to know, to understand.

She braced herself when he put it on, but he only rolled back to her and began to kiss and touch her some more, till the tension drained once again. Only then, when he could sense she was relaxed, did he slide between her legs.

"Will it hurt?" The childish question fell from her lips before she could stop it.

"I think so, a little bit." He said. He kissed her again. "I'm sorry if it does. If it hurts too much, you tell me and I'll stop."

"All right." She replied. It should hurt a little, she thought. A change so big shouldn't come without some pain, or it didn't matter.

She felt him pushing at her, into her, and struggled not to fight against it. There was a sharp bite of pain that took the dreamy edge off the moment. Then he began to move inside her and it eased into kind of a bittersweet ache. He kept kissing her and she gripped his shoulders and looked at him. They held each other's gaze as he began to move faster.

"Am I hurting you?" He asked, his voice coming out in shorts breaths. She shook her head.

"No." He wasn't really. The ache had subsided and now it was only sweet.

He began to move faster still and she let him, holding onto his shoulders. She closed her eyes and let her head fall back against the pillow. This went on for several long seconds, until she heard him suck his breath in again. His body began to shudder and she opened her eyes to watch him as he spent himself.

Afterward, they lay naked, side-by-side, with Juice spooned up against her back.

"Do you feel different?" He asked her and she turned to look at him.

"I do." She admitted.

"I'm sorry that you didn't…I mean, we could try to…" He fumbled his words and she realized he was apologizing for not getting her off. She kissed his nose, feeling that maybe that would be too much for one night.

"It's okay." She said. "You can get me next time."

He smiled, relieved and they cuddled together again. They stayed like that for a long time.


	10. Chapter Ten

The summer was passing quickly and Juice couldn't think of one he had enjoyed more. He spent nearly all his free time with Clarissa, and almost every night too, either in his room at the clubhouse or her room at Clay and Gemma's. They went to the movies, to roller derby matches, to the beach. And they made love. They did it several times a day and in several places. In his room at the clubhouse, in her room at home, in the backseat of the Mustang, on a blanket out by the streams, and once on the hood of an old Impala in the garage after everyone else was gone.

Everyone knew they were sleeping together and there were always grins and remarks made when the two of them disappeared, only to show back up thirty minutes later, sweaty and disheveled looking.

"And we can't even rag on him about it," Jax complained. "Because it's Clarissa. This sucks."

Yes, everything was going well for them, until a Sunday morning in mid-August when Juice received a phone call.

The trilling of his cell phone ripped him out of a sound sleep. Clarissa was curled up beside him, still out of it. He grabbed his phone before it could wake her up too. It was early and they'd been out late the night before, at a Three Doors Down concert with Wendy and Jax. They'd stumbled into Clarissa's bed about 1:00 am, only to spend another hour making love. SO yeah, he was pretty exhausted.

"'Lo?"

"Juice?" The voice on the other end was as familiar as his own and he grinned when he heard it.

"Hey, Hugo." He greeted his little brother.

"I'm sorry to be calling you so early, man." Hugo said. "I know it's only like, 7:30 out there, but…"

Juice got out of bed and pulled on his pajama bottoms and an old muscle shirt. He slipped out of the room to talk and headed downstairs to talk. Gemma was fixing breakfast and Clay was sitting at the table reading the paper. They were so used to the familiar sight of him in the mornings; they didn't even bat an eye as he walked out onto the deck, sliding the glass doors shut behind him.

"What's going on?"

Hugo sighed, his distresses carrying the three-thousand miles across the phone lines. "Mama was here."

"What?"

Another sigh. "She showed up last week, had some lowlife retard with her."

"What'd she want this time?" Juice asked. It had been more than three years since they'd last seen their mother.

"Same thing she always wants, bro," Hugo replied. "Money. At first she tried spinning the same old bullshit, how she's changed and how she wants to make things right with her "boys", but she showed her true colors soon enough. Threw her for a loop when she found out you weren't here, though."

Juice grinned in spite of himself. "I bet it did." He said. "Does she know where I am?"

"Nana only told her that you were living in Northern Cali now." Hugo answered. "Went on a little bit about how serious you are with your new girlfriend, like any of us care about that."

"Shut up." Juice told him. "Was she strung out?"

"No," Hugo said. "She knows Nana and Poppy wouldn't let her stay here if she was."

"How long before she pulled the guilt trip on Nana?" Juice asked.

"Not long." Hugo answered. "A couple of days."

"Shit," Juice hissed. "She give her anything?"

"Not that I know of." Hugo said. "I tried to make goddamned sure of that. Poppy didn't budge either and she left. Hey, I gotta run, but I mostly just wanted to let you know what was going on here. I'm afraid…well, if she finds out where you are, she might come looking for money from you next. Nana…well, she kinda went overboard with how well you're doing out there and she made it sound like you had a little something. If Mama shows up-."

"I don't think that's likely." Juice told him. "Thanks for calling, though. Keep me updated, okay? I know there's not much I can do, but…"

"I know." Hugo said. "Hey, I was thinking that maybe at the end of the summer, I could fly out and see you for a few days? Meet this chick you're so hung up on?"

"Yeah," Juice said. "Yeah, Hugo, that'd be great. I'd love that."

"Okay, well," His brother's voice sounded a little thick. "Kiss her for me, huh? And take care of yourself, big brother."

"All right, you too."

"Bye."

"Bye, Hugo."

He stepped back into the house. Gemma looked at him.

"Everything okay, sweetheart?" She asked. He nodded.

"Oh, yeah, just my little brother." He answered. "Updating me on some family drama."

Gemma raised her brows. "I know how that goes. Sit down; I'll make you some pancakes."

"Okay," He sat. "Thanks."

"Everything all right in Queens?" She asked a few minutes later, as she slid a stack of golden brown pancakes in front of him. Juice nodded as he slathered butter on them and drowned them in maple syrup.

"Yeah," He said around a mouthful. "Just my Mom doing what she does best; stirring shit up."

"Now, you were raised by your grandparents, weren't you?" Gemma asked him, though she knew the answer.

"Yeah," Juice replied. "Me and my brother both. Our Mom…well, she wasn't really fit, you know."

"What about your old man?" Clay looked up from the paper.

Juice shrugged. "Never met the guy." He said, unsure of where this chat was going. He just ate more pancakes and luckily, Clarissa chose that moment to make her appearance.

"Hey, baby," Gemma kissed the top of her daughter's head. "You're up early."

"I can't sleep when the bed's empty." She said. She looked at Juice. "What woke you up?"

He held up his cell phone. "My brother called." He said.

"Oh," She sat down beside him and started eating the pancakes her mother had slid in front of her. "What'd he want?"

"Family stuff." Juice told her. "No big deal."

"Oh," She said again.

When their plates were clean, Clarissa slid her hand up his thigh. "I'm gonna go try to get a little more sleep." She said. "You wanna come?"

From the way she was squeezing his leg, he knew sleep was the last thing she wanted to do, so he downed his last bit of OJ and stood up. "Yeah,"

Clay rolled his eyes as the two of them hurried from the room. "Jesus Christ," He told his wife. "They hump like rabbits."

Upstairs, Clarissa pulled off her tank top and sleep shorts and Juice was delightfully surprised to find her naked underneath. He stripped off his own clothes and they proceeded to loose themselves for awhile.

When they were finished and they lay side-by-side, both sweating and breathing hard, Clarissa turned to face him.

"So, what did your brother really want?" She asked.

"My Mom showed up." He said. "We haven't seen here in like, four years or something and she just shows up out of the blue."

"What'd she want?" Clarissa asked, propping herself up on her elbow and looking at him.

"Same thing she always wants." Juice replied. "Money. She knows Nana will give it to her."

"Did she?"

Juice shrugged. "Hugo says no. He says that he and Poppy made sure she and her lowlife didn't get anything…"

"But…?"

Juice sighed and closed his eyes. This wasn't exactly his idea of pillow talk, but he knew Clarissa could be like a dog with a bone; she wouldn't just let it go. "But he thinks she might know where I am and come here looking for money next."

"Do you think she will?"

Again he shrugged. "I hope not. As far as we know, she only knows I'm in Northern California, but if she shows up-."

"If she shows up, Gemma will run her off." Clarissa assured him. "Don't you worry about that."

"You think she will?" He asked. "Run my Mom off, I mean."

Clarissa nodded. "If you want her to, she definitely will. You're family now, baby."

He looked at her in surprise. "I'm not even patched in yet."

She grinned and kissed his nose. "You will be." She promised. "I know it."

He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her. "I love you." He said.

He looked down into her face. It was the first time he'd ever said it to her and he waited on baited breath to hear her reply.

"I love you, too." She said. And she realized, she did. She really did.

* * *

The next day was Monday and it meant back to work. Clarissa sighed, wishing they could spend another morning in bed together. But no, it was back to fixing cars and bikes for him and back to filing papers and answering the phone for her, with a few stolen moments in between for both of them.

It was about 1:30 in the afternoon when Tig called his name. Juice was up underneath a car, working on the brake lines.

"Juice! Someone here to see you!"

His stomach dropped and he slid out from under the car, wiping his hands on a rag. And sure enough, there she stood, all five feet two inches of her.

His mother.


	11. Chapter Eleven

"Aren't you gonna kiss your Mama hello, Juan Carlos?" She asked.

His mother's voice pulled him from his shocked state and he hastened to do so. It had only been four years since he last saw her, but Jesus H Christ, did she look rough.

Maria Ortiz had once been a very beautiful woman. Juice knew this from memory and from pictures. She had once had shining dark hair and huge brown eyes. Her hair now, though still dark, was a few shades_ too_ dark and obviously dyed; as brittle as jimson weed. Her dark eyes were as flat and hard as a cheap motel bed. And there were lines around her mouth and eyes that hadn't been there before. Twenty years of hard living had finally caught up with her and even though she was just forty, she looked much older. He glanced at her hands and, seeing the extra long pinky nail, knew what her drug of choice was this time.

"What are you doing here, Mama?" He asked. She blinked at him.

"Why, I'm here to see my baby, of course!" She exclaimed.

"I'm not your baby." He said, straining to keep his voice calm, knowing that everyone was watching them. "What do you want?"

He saw anger flash in her eyes, but she doused it quickly. "Juan Carlos, I don't understand why you're acting like this, after all I've done for you! I just came here to see you and to meet your girlfriend-."

"All you've done for me?" He laughed loudly and sarcastically, suddenly angry enough that he didn't care if the whole damn town heard. "What have you ever done for me, Mama? Besides abandon me and steal from me and turn tricks in my bed? What exactly have you done?"

"I know I haven't always been good to you in the past," She said. "But I've changed, I swear it! Just come have lunch with me, and you'll see. Please, baby."

Juice felt movement behind him and turned to see Clarissa making her way over.

"You all right, baby?" She asked. He nodded.

"Yeah."

"Is this her?" Maria looked at the girl. Young and beautiful, she thought. And most likely rolling in dough. "Your special girl?"

"I'm Clarissa." She held out her hand and Juice's mother shook it.

"Maria Ortiz." She said. "Juan Carlos' Mama." She looked at her son again. "Please, give me another chance, baby. Come have lunch with me; bring your girlfriend."

Juice sighed, relenting. He knew that his mother only wanted whatever she thought she could get from him, and he knew it would probably get ugly when he refused her. He didn't want to do that here, in front of everyone.

"All right," He said. "Lunch and that's it." He looked at Clarissa and she at him.

"Do you not want me to come?" She asked. "I can stay here and-."

"No." He interrupted. "I want you with me."

She nodded. "All right. We'll take my car."

She ran up to get her keys. "What's going on?" Gemma asked immediately. "Is that his mother? What the fuck does she want?"

"She hasn't said yet." Clarissa told her. "But Juice thinks she wants money."

"You need me to get rid of her?" Gemma asked. "Because you know I have no problem-."

"It hasn't come to that yet." Clarissa said. "But we may need you before this shit is all said and done."

Gemma nodded and kissed her daughter. "I'll be here."

Juice drove Clarissa's Mustang and his mother and her boyfriend, who she simply introduced as Mike, followed in their car.

"Let me do the talking." Juice told her. "I know how to handle her. Baby, you gotta know…this could get real ugly before its over."

Clarissa nodded. "I know." She said. "I'm just here for the moral support."

Juice led them to a little diner off the highway.

"Why here?" Clarissa asked in surprise. "There are a lot nicer places in town."

Juice shrugged, but honestly he didn't want any bad memories of his mother tainting him and Clarissa's favorite spots.

They followed him inside and sat down at a booth in the back. After the waitress, a girl named Beth that Clarissa had gone to high school with, took their orders, Juice looked at his mother.

"All right," He said. "What do you want?"

"Juan Carlos, I told you-."

"Cut the shit, Mama." He said harshly and she sucked in her breath. He had never spoken to her like that before. "You don't wanna get to know me anymore than I wanna get to know you. What'd you want?"

Her eyes narrowed and her true intentions rose to the surface. "Fine, you wanna play it that way? Ten-thousand dollars oughta do it."

Juice laughed out loud, but without a trace of humor. It scared Clarissa a little bit. This was not the sunny, happy-go-lucky boy she loved. This man was hard. "Even if I had that kind of cash just laying around, I sure as shit wouldn't give it to you."

"You don't even know why I need it." She began, but he cut her off.

"I know why you need it," He said. "So you can shovel it right up your goddamned nose. Your coke nail gave it away." He shook his head. "I don't know where you got your information, Mama, but it was wrong. I don't have any money."

"I know you're running with this motorcycle club now." She said. "I'm not stupid, Juan Carlos. They're rolling in it."

Juice rolled his eyes and fingered his cut. "You see this? I'm a Prospect, a fuckin' grunt. I'm not seeing any kind of payout from anything."

"Maybe not," His mother said. "But I asked around, and this here girl you're snuggled up to, she's the little biker princess, ain't she? Look at that brand new car she's drivin'. Mommy and Daddy probably give her whatever the fuck she wants, and the boyfriend too. Isn't that right, sweetheart?" She reached across the table and ran her finger down Clarissa's face. She jerked away.

Juice felt his blood pounding in his ears. He'd never been this angry, not that he could remember. "We're leaving." He stood and pulled Clarissa up with him. "I'm not giving you a goddamned cent and you need to get out of Charming today. Right now. Take your fucking lowlife and leave."

"I thought you said he'd give us the money, Maria." Mike said as they watched Juice and Clarissa drive away.

"He will." She told him.

Mike snorted. "Sure as shit didn't sound like it."

"I know my boy." She said. "We'll get it…we just need the right leverage. And," She said, thinking of Clarissa. "I think I know exactly how to push his buttons."

* * *

"You get shit taken care of?" Clay asked him when they got back. Juice nodded.

"Yeah," He said. "She won't be back around here."

"What was that?" Clay asked Clarissa when Juice had walked off.

"His mother, the fucking deadbeat, has it in her head that he's got money." Clarissa explained. "She thought he'd give her some. He told her to fuck off."

"Is she gonna stir up problems for us?" Clay asked and Clarissa shook her head.

"I don't see how she can."

"She drove clear across the USA to get money from him. You think she's gonna give up that easy?"

Clarissa shrugged. "What do I know? I just met the woman. But what can she do? She ain't got any clout in this town. I wouldn't worry about it."

"All right." Clay said.

"You okay, baby?" Gemma asked Juice. He nodded.

"Yeah. I got used to the fact a long time ago; she never wanted me or my brother."

Gemma touched his cheek. "That's her loss then, isn't it?" She said. "And our gain."

He finally cracked a smile. "Thanks, Gemma."

"Anytime, baby."


	12. Chapter Twelve

Juice and Clarissa lay curled together on the couch at the house. Gone with the Wind was playing on the television and they were sharing a bag of gummy cherry slices, which were Juice's favorite candy. Clarissa took his hand and sucked the sugar crystals off his finger. Normally, this would have driven him wild, but this evening he barely felt a stirring in his groin.

She dropped his hand and looked at him. "Baby, what's the matter?" She knew though; he'd been like this for the past three days, ever since his mother.

"I'm sorry," He said. "I'm just…I feel like I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop, you know?"

"Honey, if she was gonna try anything, I think she would have done it already." Clarissa assured him. "Besides, what could she do that would hurt the club, huh?"

He honestly couldn't think of anything. "You really think I don't have anything to worry about?"

"I really don't."

He grinned his big smile and pulled her into his lap. "What would I do without you?" He asked. She kissed his nose.

"You'd still be using your hand." She said slyly and he rolled his eyes.

"Shut up." They kissed again and he looked at her. "I gotta ask you something."

"What's that?"

"How would you feel about moving into the clubhouse with me?" He asked in a rush. It was something he'd been thinking about for awhile.

She looked at him. "Are you serious?"

He nodded. "As a heart attack."

"I…I don't know what to say." She said. "I want to say yes, but there's so much…"

He ran his fingers through her hair. "You don't have to decide right now," He told her. "Just think about it, okay?"

She nodded. "Okay."

He pulled her in for a kiss and slipped his hand up the back of her shirt. "Clay and my Mom are in the other room." She whispered.

"They're not gonna catch us." He whispered back. He grabbed her hand and placed it against his groin. "Please, baby?"

She giggled and slid her hand down the front of his jeans, working it up and down while they kissed.

They were so caught up in fooling around that they didn't hear Jax and Chibs enter the room until the Scotsman spoke.

"Oh, that's lovely!" He said in a loud, sarcastic voice.

Both Juice and Clarissa jumped and she snatched her hand out of his pants. "We were just-." She started to explain, but Jax held up his hand.

"We saw what you were doing." Her big brother grinned. "Where's Clay?"

"Um, in their room." She answered.

"Go get him, will you?"

Clarissa scampered from the room and Jax leaned against the door frame. "So," He said to Juice. "Getting a handy from my sister while you're watching some civil war shit?"

"Uh…" Juice wasn't sure where this was headed. "Yes?"

Jax grinned. "Kinky."

"I guess so?"

"Look at him!" Chibs laughed. "He's about to wet his nappy. Listen kid," He said to Juice. "What you do with, or to, your old lady isn't any concern of ours."

It was the first time anyone had referred to Clarissa as his _old lady_. He liked the way that it sounded. A lot. "I just…I mean, she's your sister…" He said to Jax. Jax shrugged.

"Yeah, she is. And I don't care what you do to her, as long as you're treatin' her right. So far, you seem to be doing a good job of keeping her happy."

"I'm trying my damnedest."

"Good," Jax lit a smoke. "Keep that up and we'll be okay."

* * *

The next morning, Gemma and Clarissa sat in the T.M. office.

"Can I talk to you about something?" Clarissa asked her mother.

"What?" Gemma looked hard at her daughter. "Oh God, you're pregnant, aren't you? I told you that you have to take the pill at the same time every single day, or it doesn't work-."

"Mom, I'm not pregnant." She said.

"Oh," Gemma raised her eyebrows. "Well, what is it then?"

"Juice asked me to move into the clubhouse with him."

"He what?" Gemma was genuinely surprised. She knew the two of them were getting serious about each other, but she wasn't expecting this.

"He asked me to move into the clubhouse with him."

"Oh sweetie, I don't want you living in that dorm room." She said. "And with you starting college in a few weeks, it's not a good idea. Why don't you guys try to get your own place?"

Clarissa had thought of this, but had vetoed the idea after adding up their expenses. "Mom, we can't really afford that."

"Well, why doesn't he just move in with us?" Gemma suggested. Clarissa looked at her.

"Really?"

Gemma nodded. "Yeah. I mean, shit he spends practically every night at our house anyway. Let me run it by Clay, to be sure, but as long as you guys help out a little with food and stuff, I don't see it being a problem."

Clarissa kissed her mother's cheek. "You're the best."

"Now, you don't go saying anything to Juice till I clear it with Clay, all right?" Gemma told her. "But I'll let you know what he says before the end of the day."

"Okay." Clarissa promised.

* * *

It was after lunch before Gemma got a chance to talk to Clay.

"I gotta run something by you," She told him shutting the office door.

"What is it?"

"How do you feel about letting Juice move in with us?" She asked.

Clay stared at her. "The Prospect? Living in my house? I don't know about that, Gem."

"He's there all the time anyway!" Gemma protested.

"Yeah, but…shit, I don't know if it's a good idea."

"He wants Clarissa to move into the clubhouse with him." She said. "I don't want her living there and they can't afford their own place yet."

"You just don't want her to move out." Clay said. Gemma scowled.

"That's not all of it." She objected. "Do you really want our girl living in the _clubhouse_?"

"No, but I'm not sure I want a Prospect living in _my_ house, either!"

"He's not just some Prospect!" She said. "He's Clarissa's boyfriend."

"He's still, first and foremost, a SAMCRO Prospect." Clay told her. "I don't think it looks good, him living with us. She'll be fine at the clubhouse. It won't be for very long, anyway. They can save their money and in a couple of months, they can move in their own place. Get an apartment or something."

"Will you think about it, at least?" She asked. Clay sighed.

"Fine," He said. "I'll consider it."

Gemma kissed his cheek, knowing he was already cracking a little. With no children of his own, it had seemed to her that he tended to give into hers; especially Clarissa. "Thank you."

He opened his mouth to say something else, but shut it when they heard a horn blowing. "What the hell is that?"

Clay and Gemma rushed outside, joined by the other guys. Summer was flying up the parking lot in her little white Bug, blowing the horn. She screeched on the brakes and barely stopped in time the keep from hitting the garage doors.

"What the hells the matter with you, girl?" Tig as asked as his niece jumped from her car.

"They took Clarissa!" She said. Her face was blotchy and red. "She's gone!"

There was a moment of silence as this sunk in.

"What?" Jax asked finally. "What are you talking about?"

"Me and Ris, we were coming out of the Chinese place and this man and woman in this car, they just stopped in front of the restaurant and they grabbed her!"

"Someone took Clarissa?" Clay asked.

"Yes!" Summer shouted. "They fucking took her off the street! Why're you all standing here staring at me like I'm retarded?"

Juice felt the bile begin to rise in his throat. "What did they look like?" He asked. "The man and woman?"

"She was short and Hispanic." Summer answered. "He had blonde hair and a bunch of tattoos. They were in a crappy car, like a Buick or something. I don't know! Do something!"

"Holy shit." Juice felt panic in his chest. "It was my mother. My mother took Clarissa."

* * *

**Author's Note: Dun...dun...DUN!**


	13. Chapter Thirteen

Clarissa came to in darkness. Where was she? What was going on? Her head hurt so bad…

And as she lay there in the dark, it slowly came back to her. She and Summer had gone to get lunch at the Panda Garden, she'd been waiting for her mother to talk to Clay about Juice moving in with them. Juice. His name tickled her memory banks, but she couldn't get her thoughts in order.

All she could seem to think about was the night before, how they had laid in her bed when they'd finished making love, how he'd traced the outline of the only tattoo she had, a small hummingbird on the inside of her right elbow.

"Did you know hummingbirds mate for life?" He asked.

She looked at him skeptically. "I thought that was a myth."

He shook his head. "Nope. Well," He grinned a little sheepishly. "They only live about a year, and it's only certain kinds of hummingbirds."

"So…it's a myth."

Juice had sighed. "Trying to be romantic here."

She'd laughed. "Fine, Mr. Romance. Please continue."

"Hummingbirds mate for life, so you're kinda like my hummingbird." He told her. She laughed again and he kissed her.

This was what she was thinking about when she heard footsteps. She struggled to sit up, but couldn't. She realized her hands and feet were bound. What was going on? She struggled to remember, but couldn't.

The door opened and Clarissa flinched as the light poured in.

"Not so high and mighty now, are you, you little bitch?" The woman who spoke, her voice sounded so familiar. Who was she? "I bet my son is in all kinds of an uproar now."

And at that comment, it clicked into place who she was. It was Juice's mother.

"Why…why are you doing this?" Clarissa asked her. Maria laughed.

"I told Juan Carlos that I needed money," She said. "And, one way or another, I'm going to get it. All he needs to do is cooperate and you'll be just fine."

"And if he doesn't?"

Maria laughed again, but it was darker this time. "You don't wanna know the answer to that, sugar."

"You know they'll kill you, right?" Clarissa asked her. "If Juice doesn't, then my stepfather and my brother will. You're not so stupid as to think that they'll just let you walk away, especially if you kill me."

"I think you got a lot of faith in something that doesn't exist." Maria told her. "I'm gonna give you sometime to think on it." She held up Clarissa's cell phone, which she had taken from her purse. "I got some calls to make."

* * *

Across town, in the clubhouse, Summer was crying.

"This is not your fault." Tig was telling her. "What could you have done? You did the right thing, coming straight back here."

"It's not your fault." Juice added. "It's mine."

Jax looked at him. "How do you work that out?"

"I didn't take my mother serious." He said. "I thought if I shot her down, she and her lowlife would hit the road."

"You couldn't have known that they would do this." Chibs told him. "Shit, how could you? I mean, its fuckin' nuts."

Juice's phone rang. He looked down at it and his eyes widened when he saw Clarissa's number pop up on the screen.

"Baby?" He answered it hopefully. A cruel laugh shattered that little bit of hope.

"Guess again." His mother's voice rang out.

"Where is she?" His throat was so tight he could barely speak. "If you've hurt her, I swear to God-."

"She's fine." Maria told him. "A little sore and confused, but otherwise fine. She's convinced that her white knight is going to swoop in and save her. Is that what you're going to do, Juan Carlos?"

"If you hurt one hair on her head, I'll-."

"You'll what?" His mother asked, her voice mocking. "Kill me? Somehow, I don't think so."

"Give me the phone." Clay said, snatching it from Juice's hand. "Listen, you crazy bitch, I don't know what you think you're going to get out of this, but if you hurt my daughter-."

"Why does everyone think I'm going to hurt her?" Maria asked. "I'll tell you like I told my son; you want the girl back, you give me the money. I'll give you till the end of the day."

"And we're just supposed pull ten thousand dollars out of our goddamned asses?"

"I've had eyes on you and your wife." She said. "I know you have money. Nice house, brand new cars."

"Let me talk to my daughter." He told her.

Clarissa's voice came on. "Clay?" She said. Her voice was high and afraid and Clay was immediately thrown back to when she was a child, after her father was killed.

"Are you okay, baby?" He asked. "Are you hurt?"

"No, no," She said. "I'm not hurt. Are you gonna get me?"

"Yes," He promised. "Yes, we're gonna get you out of this."

"Let me talk to Juice." She said. Clay held the phone out to him and the Prospect grabbed it.

"Clarissa?" He said. "Baby, I'm so sorry."

"This isn't your fault." She told him. "I just wanted to let you know that I love you. In case this goes bad, I want you to know that."

"Nothings gonna go bad, I promise." He told her, his voice clogging. "We're gonna get you as soon as we can."

"I love you." She repeated.

"I love you too, baby." He told her. "Hang in there, okay, and we'll-."

"You'll what?" His mother's voice, cold and sneering, was back on the line. "You tell your boss, you all wanna see this pretty little thing again, he better have my money by 8:00. I'll be in touch then."

The line went dead and Juice looked at Clay. "She says she'll be in touch at 8:00 and if we don't have her money by then, she's gonna kill Clarissa."

His legs suddenly felt like jelly and he sat down, hard, on one of the bar stools.

"That's not gonna happen." Clay told him. He motioned for the other guys to clear out and he took a seat beside Juice. "We're gonna get her back and everything'll be fine. You'll see. By this time tomorrow, you'll be moving your shit into our house."

Juice looked up at him. "What?"

Clay shrugged. "Guess they didn't say anything. Gemma doesn't want Clarissa living here. She wants you to move in with us."

"And you're…okay with that?"

Clay shrugged again. "Guess I gotta be. Look kid, in order to get our girl back, some shit's gonna have to go down. You okay with that?"

"If you mean killing my mother, then yes." Juice's voice turned brittle. "I'm okay with that."

Clay gave him a hard look. "You say that now, because you're pissed, but when the time comes-."

"When the time comes, I'll do it myself, if I have to." He said.

At 8:00 that night, Juice's cell rang again. He snatched it open.

"Hello?"

"You have my money?"

"Yeah," Juice closed his eyes. "Yeah, we have it."

"Good." He could hear the sneer in his mother's voice. "Then you all can meet me by that little park on the corner of Park Street in fifteen minutes and we'll make our exchange."

Juice relayed this information to Clay and Jax. They had a plan in place and Juice hoped it work, hoped he could get Clarissa out of there before any bullets started to fly.

Only four SAMCRO members, including Juice, were going to the pickup point.

"When we get there and give her the money, you get Clarissa and get her out of there as fast as possible." Jax told him. "You don't need to see what happens next."

Juice knew they were going to kill his mother and her boyfriend and he was glad. This was a permanent fix for his family. Now she couldn't swoop in again and try and take his grandparents for money or God knew what else.

The four of them drove to Park Street. Even before they parked, Juice saw his mother's shitty car sitting beside the curb. He could make out the blonde head in the backseat and his heart leaped. She was okay.

His mother got out of the car and sauntered over to them. She really was stupid, Juice thought.

Clay tossed her a duffle bag and she caught it gleefully. She opened the bag and started to count the money.

"Get the girl, Mike!" She called over her shoulder.

Mike got Clarissa out of the car and brought her forward. He pushed her roughly forward and Juice caught her. Her hands were still bound and he used his penknife to cut the rope.

"Are you all right?" He whispered in her ear. She nodded.

"I'm all right." She smiled ruefully. "A little hungry, though."

"We'll get you something to eat as soon as we get back to the clubhouse." He told her.

"Juice," Jax said harshly. "Get her out of here. Now."

Maria's head snapped up at the sound of the young man's voice. "What is this?" She looked at her son. "Juan Carlos…"

"I told you, Mama." He said. "I told you."

She glared at him. "I never wanted you."

"That's good." He told her. "Because I never wanted you either."

"I lied to you." She said. He rolled his eyes.

"I'm sure you did."

"I lied to you about your father." Her voice became wheeling. "When I told you I didn't know who he was, I lied."

"You're just trying to talk your way out of this, but it isn't going to work."

Juice began to lead Clarissa to his bike.

"His name is Michael Howard Cole." Maria said behind him. "Look him up if you don't believe me."

Juice ignored her, but stored the name in his memory.

He heard nothing as he and Clarissa sped away.

* * *

**Author's Note: There is only one chapter left to go! I'll try and have it up tomorrow, and then on to the next story!**


	14. Chapter Fourteen

True to Clay's prediction, they spent the next afternoon moving Juice's meager belongings into the Morrow household.

"I can't believe you're letting the Prospect move in here." Tig said. Clay shrugged.

"It'll make Clarissa happy." He said. "Besides, he's not that bad of a kid."

Tig had to agree. "He's a hell of a lot better than some of the assholes my girls run around with." He said.

"Gemma doesn't want her living at the clubhouse." Clay explained in undertones. "And they can't afford their own place. This is temporary."

Tig grinned. "Sure it is."

Juice hung the last of his t-shirts in Clarissa's closet. "I never thought I'd live in a pink room." He said. She looked up from her spot on the bed.

"We'll start saving to get our own place." She said. Chibs came in then, holding a box.

"You forgot one, Prospect." He said. He looked around. "Jesus, it's pink in here. I feel like I'm standing inside a vagina."

Clarissa looked at him. "You're so weird."

"Yeah." He said. He looked at Juice. "Gonna miss you around the clubhouse, boyo."

"I'll still be there everyday." He said. Chibs grinned.

"Ah, not as much as you used to." He shook his head. "I knew this was coming on, though." He eyed the two of them, sitting on the bed together. "It's a good match." He said. "I'm happy for the both of you."

Much later that evening, after they had eaten supper and Clay and Gemma had gone to bed, Juice fired up his laptop. Clarissa had gone to take a bath and she had taken her book with her, so he knew he had some time. He wanted to look up the name his mother had given him. He was trying not to base his hopes on this, but he sort of couldn't help it.

He stretched out across Clarissa's bed- their bed, he corrected himself. He lived here now, as odd as it seemed. He looked around as he waited for his computer to boot up. He was remembering the very first time he'd ever been in here, right after he first met Clarissa. If someone had told him then that he'd be living in this room with her, he would have shit himself laughing. But it was true; she loved him and he loved her. He looked at the picture on her nightstand. Wendy had taken it a few weeks before, when the four of them had gone to the beach. In the picture, he and Clarissa were standing in the surf, laughing in their bathing suits, unaware that their picture was being taken.

Once his laptop was running, he hacked into the database he usually used and typed in the name his mother had given him. After a few minutes of searching, several matches had popped up, but only one in Queens in 1979, the year he'd been conceived. He clicked on it eagerly. He was about to find his father. As the page loaded, all kinds of wild ideas ran through his head. Maybe he could look this man up, get to know him. No one would ever replace his Poppy, but it would be nice to have someone he could call Dad.

All those dreams crashed when the page was done loading. Michael Howard Cole was black. Juice stared at the picture. This couldn't be right. It couldn't be. But even as he thought it, he saw small similarities that told him it most likely was. Their ears were the same, he thought. And the shape of their eyes. He read through the man's details quickly. Born March 24th, 1960 in Queens. Married a LaTisha Stanton in 1985, had two daughters; Ashley and Danielle, born in 1987 and 1989.

His little sisters, Juice thought. He quickly calculated their ages to be fifteen and thirteen.

He clicked off the page and cleared the browser history. That's what he was gonna do, he thought. Clear his browser history. No one had to know what he had just found out. He could say the name was fake; no one else had the resources or the inclination to look. No one else had to know.

When Clarissa finished her bath, she found him on the bed in his pajama pants, reading a car magazine.

"Did you run the name?" She asked. She let her towels drop and stood there naked and dripping as she dug through her drawers.

"Yeah," He said, taking in the length of her nude body. "I didn't find anything that could be a match. She was lying, just like I thought." He told her one of the few lies that he would ever tell her, in all the years they would be together. Of course, he had no idea that this lie would come back to bite him in the ass eight years later.

But that's a story for a different day.

"I'm sorry, baby." She said as she slipped on a pair of panties and an old t-shirt. She slid into bed next to him and cuddled into his arms.

"It's all right." He said, holding her close. She reached up and turned the light off and they lay there in the darkness together.

Juice felt her hair, still damp and smelling of apples, pressed against his face and he breathed in. He would forget about the man who could be his father, about his mother who would now be considered "missing".

This, Clarissa and the club, was all he needed.

* * *

**Authors Note: And there you have it, boys and girls. That brings this story to an end. Thank you so much to everyone who has reviewed and added this story! I'm preparing to put up a one-shot featuring Juice/Clarissa called 'The Proposal' (you can guess what that's about) and then the next story, which takes place throughout season one. It will be called With Arms Wide Open. So look for those! I'll have the one-shot up today and possibly the first chapter of With Arms Wide Open.**


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